Several emerging telecommunications technologies form the background of this invention.
First, there have been rapid advances in techniques to compress voice signals so as to enable efficient transportation thereof over data grade networks. Although Plain Old Telephone System ("POTS") analog connections still exist, the use of digitized voice transmission is becoming increasingly common on the POTS network. Digitized voice signals transmitted over the Public Switched Telephone Network ("PSTN") normally consume approximately 64 Kbps of bandwidth when digitized and encoded using the standard .mu.-law algorithm. In contrast, modern CODECs can compress digitized speech to consume as little as 5 Kbps of bandwidth without seriously degrading the voice signal. Further, modern Pentium.RTM.-grade processors, as found in most multimedia-grade desktop computers, have ample processing power to run such CODECs, thereby enabling a user to transmit and receive voice signals through the desktop computer using a microphone and speakers attached to the computer.
Second, POTS/packet gateways are becoming increasingly common. POTS lines generally multiplex digitized voice signals by allocating sequential bits or words in separate conversations to periodic time slots in a time division multiple access ("TDMA") structure. The data is transmitted in streaming form. Connections require a switched architecture and point-to-point connections and have a potential for wasted resources when lines are not busy. On the other hand, other data grade networks send digitized voice signals in packetized form, where each bit or word is encoded with a header that references its position in a conversation. The "packets" are then sent out on a routed basis, and may follow one of many possible pathways to their destinations before they are reassembled, according to their headers, into a conversation. This has the slight disadvantage over the POTS/TDMA method in that the headers consume additional bandwidth, but this disadvantage is generally dramatically outweighed over the efficiencies in network usage without switched architecture and point-to-point connections. POTS/packet gateways are resources that convert TDMA voice signals received, for example, over a standard POTS line, into packetized voice signals, and vice versa. Generally, the POTS/packet gateway will also perform conversion of analog signals to digital signals (if required), or accept the .mu.-law encoded digital signals directly from the PSTN. The gateway then compresses the digitized signals from .mu.-law (about 64 Kbps) down to about 6 Kbps before packetizing (and vice versa). The packetized voice signals may then be multiplexed with numerous other signals for transmission over a data line. A typical application of such a POTS/packet gateway is in alternatives to making a long distance call. Instead of making a long distance connection where the network uses digital TDMA lines at approximately 64 Kbps of bandwidth per call, callers may make a local POTS call to a POTS/packet gateway. The gateway then digitizes (if necessary) and compresses the incoming signal to a packetized signal compressed down to, for example, 5 or 6 Kbps. These compressed low-bandwidth signals may then be multiplexed and routed in bulk very cheaply over long distances on a data grade network. At the other end, another POTS/packet gateway receives and reassembles the packetized signal, and then decompresses the signal and converts it back into a TDMA-multiplexed signal. Resources at the distant gateway then make another local POTS call to complete the connection between the calling party and the receiving party.
A third emerging technology is the advance in the use of "Web-enabled databases." In these applications, browser software on a standard desktop computer is used as an access method to documents downloadable from a server containing database information also available to that server. A primary feature of this Web-enabled database technology is that, responsive to a remote user's request for particular database information, tools at the server dynamically generate browser-readable documents (often in html) that contain the desired information. In this way, the computer needs only a browser and need not have resident "client" applications software to access and interact with "naked" database information downloaded by itself.
The computer's browser software thus presents the document, allowing the user to adapt (if necessary) the database information or supply other information. When a transaction is complete, the computer sends back the adapted and/or supplied information and discards the document. In this way, just about any standard desktop computer running low-cost browser software may access and interact with a multitude of databases via server-resident tools dynamically creating browser-readable documents containing the databases' information.
Against this background of emerging technologies, traditional automatic call distribution ("ACD") resources continue to require a significant investment in switched networks controlled by, for example, a private branch exchange ("PBX") or a dedicated ACD. As explained in more detail below, and with reference to FIG. 1A, early ACD systems comprised a simple switch receiving POTS calls directly from the PSTN. If agents were free, the ACD connected an incoming call. If not, the caller was put on hold. Agents operated "dumb" data terminals interacting with a central host and accessing a database. There was no control link between the ACD and the host. Thus, agents had to identify the caller upon voice connection and send a request to the host for information. This caused agent connections to be much longer, in turn causing agents to handle fewer calls and callers to spend longer periods of time on the phone.
More recent ACD systems have introduced a voice response unit ("VRU") to screen and categorize incoming calls, routing those calls to agents or other resources responsive to the wishes of the caller. See FIG. 1B, discussed in more detail below. The VRU may be able to handle the needs of a caller robotically, without having to connect the caller to an agent. When the caller wishes to be connected to an agent and all agents are busy, the VRU also keeps holding callers interested by playing information, music, etc. The VRU also allows calls to be directed among several agent pools each having different functions, since a VRU is generally capable of directing calls to several ACDs concurrently. With reference to FIG. 1B, voice pathways to live agents are still switched through an ACD (often a PBX with additional ACD functionality). The ACD may receive calls either directly from the PSTN, or via the VRU. When calls are first received and screened by the VRU, however, caller information (such as caller identity or account number) may be obtained by the VRU prior to connecting with a live agent. A computer/telephony server ("CT Server") is thus disposed between the VRU, the ACD and a database to enable database information regarding a particular caller to be directed to the data terminal of the agent with whom the caller is to be connected. This data is sent in parallel with establishment of the voice path, so that upon voice connection, the agent has the caller's information on the screen in front of her. This enables the agent to handle more calls in a shift, and causes the caller's phone time to be shorter.
Under this more recent model, agents'data terminals have also migrated to a "client/server" paradigm where the database information is exchanged with a server, and client software on agents'computers adapts and presents the data.
The state of the art for ACD systems is nonetheless still dependent on a large and expensive ACD switch, normally integrated with a complex PBX. Under this model, million dollar switch installations are not uncommon. Further, on some ACDs, the database of information often requires each call agent to use proprietary applications software, resident on their data terminals, to access and adapt the database information responsive to the caller's needs. Some ACD systems still require agents to be equipped with a unique proprietary workstation having integrated telephony devices and data terminals.
There is a need in the art to simplify ACD systems by taking advantage of emerging telecommunications technologies as described above. Integration of telephone audio functions with workstation (data exchange) functions will lower the cost of agent station equipment and will reduce the number of network interconnections required for an agent. Clearly, elimination of the switch could dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of current ACD installations. Further, equipping agents with standard desktop computers running low-cost browser software and having microphone and speakers attached thereto would further optimize the cost and maintenance of ACDs. Moreover, connecting callers and distributing related database information to agents over a low-cost network, such as an ethernet, would even further optimize the deployment of ACDs.
It should be further noted that in modern ACD systems of the current art, as many as 80% of all calls are handled robotically by the VRU. It is therefore somewhat paradoxical that although the ACD switch, CT server and agent pool terminals serve only 20% of incoming calls, they are by far the largest cost components of ACD systems. Further, the systems integration problems posed by CT servers are extremely challenging. Clearly, by eliminating the switch and the CT server, and by simplifying deployment of the agent pool network, ACD systems would become much more cost effective.